Bangkok--8 Sep--Siam PR Consultant
The Dow Chemical for Sustainable Industry Project by Dow Thailand has won the “2014 Asian CSR Award” in Environmental Excellence, marking the first award in this category for Thailand. This year’s competition welcomed a total of 109 projects from 12 countries in Asia.
Initiated in 2011, the “Dow Chemical for Sustainable Industry” is a long-term collaboration with the Thailand Environment Institute Foundation and the Ministry of Industry’s Department of Industrial Promotion, and the Thai-U.S. Creative Partnership. The project aims to introduce the principles of “Lean Management for the Environment” to Thailand’s industrial sectors in order to enhance their competitiveness, improve their environmental standards and promote higher efficiency in management and manufacturing.
The Dow Chemical for Sustainable Industry Project has been carried out for four consecutive years, beginning with the development of six modules and manuals in Lean Management for the Environment for six major industries in Thailand, namely the pharmaceutical industry, textiles, beverages, metal, ceramics and general industries. Training topics include sustainable environmental management and pollution prevention, integrated organizational management based on the principles of Lean Management for the Environment, development of green products for environmental sustainability and green business operations for sustainable development. To date, approximately 3,000 people from both the public and private sectors have participated in this program. In addition, there have been large conferences held for two consecutive years to prepare businesses for competition in the age of the ASEAN Economic Community, which will come into effect in late 2015.
In 2014, the Dow Chemical for Sustainable Industry Project has extended its counseling program to environmental management and production quality improvement based on the principles of Lean Management for the Environment. The provided in-depth coaching by Lean Management gurus aims to improve the working processes of 20 participating Thai SMEs for empirical results. In the next phase, the project will expand to the tertiary education sector and provide training and promote practice in order to develop graduates with readiness and skills for the country’s industrial sector.
Jirasak Singmaneechai, Managing Director of Dow Thailand, said, “The company is proud that the Dow Chemical for Sustainable Industry Project which is part of the support for Thai businesses in improving their environmental standards and elevating Thailand’s industrial sector into Green Industries focusing on sustainability has been recognized internationally as evidenced by this top award on a regional level. The project reaffirms Dow’s position as a partner for business and social sustainability who helps promote the development and growth of Thai industries. On this occasion, I would like to thank all our allies for driving the project to its today’s success.”
The Asian CSR Awards program was conceived by the Asian Institute of Management-Ramon V. del Rosario, Sr. Center for Corporate Social Responsibility (AIM-RVR CSR Center) in 2003 to honor Asian organizations that embody the principles of corporate responsibility in their business philosophy and operations. Awards are given to programs that achieve excellence in terms of services to stakeholders and innovative sustainable solutions to pressing social challenges. Awardees should demonstrate the company’s leadership, sincerity and on-going commitment to incorporating ethical values, compliance with legal requirements, respect for individuals, involvement in communities and protection of the environment into the way they do business. Each year, the awards are given in four categories: Environmental Excellence, Education Improvement, Poverty Alleviation and Health Enhancement.